Blossoming
by kthxbai0.o
Summary: Annabeth Chase was always a good girl. Always the teacher's pet. Always the sane one. No one thought Annabeth Chase was going to be a problem. But one night, one drink, one taste, can change your life forever. Annabeth Chase was a good girl. But people stopped thinking that after she was put in a mental hospital. (percabeth)
1. My First Day

**We Did This to Ourselves**

**My First Day**

I remember my first day here. First, the excruciatingly tense car ride. I sat in the back seat with my legs and arms crossed, looking out the window at the forever changing scenes. My mouth was twisted into a scowl and my eyes were sore from squinting. My dad drove with the usual slaps of his hands on the leather steering wheel. My mom was sniffling in the seat next to him like she was still processing what was going on. Like she couldn't believe what her little baby girl had done.

When we pulled into the parking lot of the big white building, my stomach dropped. This was happening. This was real. My mind wasn't playing tricks on me like it does when I drink. The air was too clear, my heartbeat was too real, and I could understand every word and meaning of the song playing softly on the radio. My dad killed the ignition and the car's humming abruptly stopped. My mom sniffed and brushed a loose strand of greasy black hair off her face.

I was expecting my dad to make some sort of joke or snide remark about being here like he would normally do but all that escaped his lips were the words, "Let's go." that came out gruff and scratchy. That was it, only two simple words. I wanted him to make a joke out of it. I needed him to say, "Welcome to rehab, where all your dreams come true!" or maybe, "Come on guys, we don't want to be late getting to the mental hospital." My dad had not made a joke since the incident. I doubt a smile appeared on his face since. And it was my entire fault.

He pulled the door handle of the car door open and the lights overhead blinked on. The car made a strangled "ding ding ding" sound, like it was sad that we were leaving it behind. My dad hopped out and slammed the door behind him. Shortly after, my mom opened her door and clambered out, blowing her nose as she went. She shut the door and the lights dimmed. I took a deep breath and grasped the sticky door handle. I lightly pulled and the door popped open. The lights lit up again and the same "ding ding ding" sound came from the car. "I don't want to leave either." I told the car, like it was listening.

Thank god my parents didn't hear or they'd think I was on more drugs. I slipped out the door and gently shut it. My parents were already walking towards the building, having left me behind. I jogged to keep up with them. I gazed up at the building, a tower was better to describe it. It was painted all white and had red bricks lining each window. Vines grew up one side and I could imagine someone climbing up them to give someone drugs through a window. Wait, never mind, the windows were caged in. As soon as I saw the caged windows, my stomach dropped. Was this a rehab center or a prison ward?

When we got to the revolving door, I went in a compartment alone. My dad and mom went in together, not turning around like they usually did to see if I was alright. Chairs were set up against the left wall and a few were occupied. One kid was as pale as a sheet and had dark rings around his eyes. A man sat next to him, reading the paper and glancing over at him every so often, as if he were making sure he didn't disappear. A skinny girl sat between two adults, a woman and man. They all looked very proper and focused except for the girl who was wearing navy sweats and a tattered grey shirt. Her blonde hair was frizzy and she kept repeating, "Why? Why? Why?" And finally, a twig-like red head sat in the farthest chair from me, in the lotus position with white ear buds in. His head wavered slightly, his large curls bobbling. I was wondering what could be wrong with him when I saw that his hands shook violently when he tried to change the song he was listening to.

While I was observing the people, I hadn't noticed that my parents were standing at the front desk. I slumped over to the tall, wooden desk. A few pens were chained to the counter, like the desk wanted them all to itself. A pudgy lady sat behind the counter. She had on large rectangle glasses that were attached to a chain which was resting on her fat neck. A nameplate sat in front of her. Mrs. Frederick, it read. The first thought that came to my head was, who would want to marry that fat blob? Mrs. Fatblob coughed and sputtered before speaking in a scratchy voice. "Please fill out these papers." she instructed, "You can sit in one of those chairs if you would like." My parents chose to stand.

After they filled out the three page sheet, they handed it back to the lady along with a check that would cover my treatment. "Thank you very much." Mrs. Fatblob droned, taking the paper, "You can say your goodbyes now." She made it sound like they were taking me to my cremation. I looked at my parents. My mom dabbed the corner of her eye with another tissue. "Annabeth," she started, "You know that we love you, but this is for the best." My voice got caught in my throat and my eyes burned with tears. I blinked them away. "Call us whenever you can." my dad demanded, "Or write letters, whatever it takes to keep in touch. I love you Annie Bear." He called me Annie Bear. The last time he had called me that was when I was eight, before Bobby and Matthew were born. "I love you too." I choked out before two hairy guys grabbed me by each arm and hauled me away.

They dragged me up five flights of stairs to a light blue room. The blue was supposed to make me feel calm and happy. But all it did was make me feel like I wasn't at home. There were no light blue rooms in my house. My room was a pretty dark green, with a white trim. That would make me feel calmer. "Ahem," I grunted towards the men that hauled me here, "You don't happen to have a dark green room here, preferably with a white trim?" The buff men looked at each other and burst out laughing. "You get what you get and you don't get upset." the guy on the right laughed. "Stop being a pussy and deal with it." the other guy barked. Those words scarred me. I didn't talk nice to anyone in the center after that. It made me tougher but I didn't feel like thanking the guy at the moment so I stood up and socked him in the stomach. He let out a big "oof" and stumbled backwards. Thank you, seven years of softball. Sadly, it didn't do me much good.

"You just earned yourself room watch, missy." the other man snarled. He mumbled something into his walky-talky and a buff lady appeared at my door a minute later. "Congrats." she snapped, "You're on room watch which means I will constantly check on you and you will have no privacy." I'm not sure if that was exactly what she said, but that is what room watch feels like. For the rest of the afternoon I was forced to sit around in my room because I wasn't allowed to see any other patients. The woman, who preferred to be called Sergeant, peeked in my room every ten minutes to make sure I wasn't cutting myself or banging my head against the wall.

That night, I got four hours of sleep. I tossed and turned, the night that got me sent here kept playing in my head. The clinks of bottles, the smoke from cigarettes, the humid feel from the hot tub. The flashing lights, the running, the black. I tried to push the memory out of my head, I wanted to flush it down the toilet or bury it deep inside the Earth, and then maybe build a house on top of it. My eyes were burning with exhaustion and eventually, sleep took over me.

I woke up to Sergeant hollering out the hall, "Time for breakfast, morons!" I rolled out of bed and made and attempt to flatten my curls. It failed. I slipped on my red Toms and stepped into the hall. I was about to follow everyone to the cafeteria, but Sergeant grabbed me by the arm, shoved a folder of papers at me, and flung me at the buff guy I punched last night. Great, just great. He took me roughly by the shoulders and pushed me to the cafeteria, not saying anything the whole trip. He shoved me into the cafeteria and spat, "Good luck, you'll need it." I followed some teens to a line where I picked out a slice of pizza and a carton of milk. I stood in front of the room; there were so many tables but nowhere to sit. "Nowhere to sit?" a feminine voice squeaked behind me. I turned to see the same blonde girl in the lobby. Her hair had tan highlights and stuck up everywhere. She was wearing the same ratty quarter sleeve shirt from the day before and the same sweat pants, too. I didn't judge because I was also wearing my clothes from yesterday. I nodded.

"I have nowhere to sit either." she continued, "Wanna sit with me?" I shrugged and we found and empty table. I bit of the tip of my pizza and chewed. The bread was stale and the cheese was a little soggy, but I was hungry. The girl played with her mashed potatoes. "I'm Silena." she stated, "What's your name?" I figured that I couldn't hide anything so I answered her, "Annabeth." I replied, "Annabeth Chase." Silena smiled, "That's cool." she squeaked, "So what are you here for?" Now she was going over the line. My mouth formed a tight line and my eyes dropped to the floor. "Too personal?" she guessed, "Okay, then maybe later, anyway, I here because I'm anorexic. My parents' want me 'fixed' but I don't know if that'll ever happen." I wanted to comfort her, to tell her that everything was going to be okay. But before I could do anything, a large backlit figure stood over us.

"You bitches are at my table." it grumbled. Silena shot out of her chair and snatched up her tray. "T-That's just fine!" she squealed, "We were just leaving, weren't we?" But I wasn't just about to leave. I wasn't going to take any shit from anyone else. "No." I confirmed, "We're staying right here. I'm not moving. Get another table, faggot." The figure leaned onto our table with a smile. A real smile, not a smirk. "I like you." he stated. I could see his face now; he had shaggy black hair and mesmerizing green eyes. His features were broad and he radiated confidence. "What?" I asked, confused. I just called him a faggot and he said he liked me? He laughed, "I was just joking." he insisted, "Hi, Percy Jackson, coke addict, how are you?"

I sat, stunned, was this guy for real? "Wait a second." Silena squeaked, "Isn't coke like, a soda? That isn't a rehab-worthy addiction, is it?" Percy let out a laugh that sounded like bells. "Coke," he explained, "Is the short term for cocaine." He had slid into the chair next to me by this point and a tray of pizza sat in front of him. "But," he continued, "I really do like coca-cola." Silena let out a nervous laugh as she sat back down, unsure. "It's okay," Percy told her, "I'm not gonna hurt you. I don't bite." Silena still looked uneasy. "Anyways, what are your guy's deals, names, been in any incidents yet?" he inquired. I shifted in my hard plastic chair. I wasn't about to tell anyone about me anytime soon. Luckily, Silena was brave enough to mention it for me. "I'm Silena and I'm anorexic." she stated, "I haven' been in any incidents so far but I've witnessed people getting punched and slapped."

"And what about curls over here?" he gestured to me. "Oh," Silena gasped, "That's Annabeth Chase. She doesn't want to talk about anything. And for incidents, I honestly don't know. Annabeth, any incidents?" I took a deep breath and breathed, "I punched a counselor last night in the stomach. He was asking for it, though, he called me a pussy." Percy grinned and slapped me on the back. "Nice!" he hooted. A man with dreadlocks and sunglasses on came up to us and instructed, "No physical contact or no free time for a week." Percy held his hands up in surrender. Once the guy was gone he whispered, "They threaten, but never do, unless you're really bad." I was about to ask what the definition of _really bad_ was, but the curly haired ginger from the lobby walked up to us along with an emo girl.

"Hey Perce," the boy chattered, "Who are the newbies?" Then the two sat down opposite of me and Silena. "This is Silena," Percy introduced, "she's anorexic. And this is Annabeth; she won't tell us what her problem is." Emo girl rolled her eyes like I was a spoiled brat, what was her deal? "Annabeth and Silena," Percy announced, "This is Grover the meth addict and Thalia the alcoholic and any-drug-she-can-get-her-hands-on addict. Feel free to socialize." He leaned back in his chair acting as if he just solved world peace. "You know," Thalia growled, "In group you're going to have to say what your problem is." I was confused, what was group? Grover answered for me, "Group is when you sit in a circle and a counselor asks you questions and everyone talks about their problems." Well, that sounded fun. Note: That was sarcasm.

"Hey," Percy spoke up, "What group are you guys in? It should be in your folder." I picked up the green folder that Sergeant gave me. I gingerly opened it and filed through the papers. "It says that," I started, "I'm in group E." Both of the boys smiled. "Awesome!" Percy cheered, "You're in a group with me, Grover, and Thalia!" Silena spoke up, "Hey, I'm in group E, too!" Thalia continued to look un-amused. "That means that we have our five!" Grover cheered, "I was wondering who was going to replace Gordon and Sabrina."

A loud bell rang throughout the cafeteria. "Shit." Thalia complained, "Group time." I was also not looking forward to group. I am like a clam. The good stuff is inside but if you really want it, you have to pry it or smash it open, and in the end, your hands are going to be beat up.

**A/N: Liking the new series? Not liking it? Ideas, suggestions, comments? I will take anything I can get here. So, review, rate, follow, and favorite!**


	2. Group

**Group**

**Annabeth's POV**

As soon as the cheery bell rang, Percy, Thalia, and Grover got up in sync. I wearily grabbed my lunch of uneaten pizza and stood up, my chair being pushed out behind me. I tossed the tray into the huge, tall garbage can that smelled like crap. I assumed that it was so high because people would throw each other in. Or possibly hide in it so they could escape.

With my folder clutched to my chest, and with thoughts of people escaping rehab by going out with the trash in my mind, I stepped out of the cafeteria and into the crowded hallway. "Follow me." Percy instructed, taking a step closer to me, "I'll lead you to group." We snaked through other patients down the hall until we reached a white door. It had a small wired window but it had a sheet of black construction paper taped over it. How inviting.

Percy flung the door open, revealing a small, square room with six chairs aligned in a neat circle. Happy posters hung on the wall saying dumb motives like; "Believe in Yourself!" and "Time is Valuable." The chairs were different colors and all different sizes and shapes. Some were so small a kindergartener could sit comfortably and some were so big, my feet would dangle. I sat in a red chair with a cushioned seat and back and Percy chose the blue chair with a missing armrest next to me.

As soon as we settled Thalia, Grover, and Silena walked in. Silena was giggling, Grover was smirking, and Thalia's face was still as expressionless as a statue. I was just about to ask what was so funny when middle-aged woman walked in. "Everyone take your seats so we can begin." she barked at us. Thalia, Grover, and Silena all scrambled for a seat. The pudgy woman took the last chair and sniffed. "So, I see we have some new patients, here." she commented in a nicer voice, "I'm Mrs. Laurie and I'll be your-er-helper on your road to sobriety. Let's all introduce ourselves. Say your name, addiction, hometown, and any other information you think will be valued by others, Jackson, start."

The rest of group went a little like this:

**Percy:** Hello. I'm Percy Jackson, I am addicted to _coke,_ (he snuck in a wink at Silena there) I'm from Manhattan and I enjoy swimming and dinosaurs.

**Mrs. Laurie:** Very nice, Thalia would you care to go?

**Thalia**: *Sigh* Fine. I'm Thalia Grace, I'm addicted to alcohol and any drug I can find, I'm from a land called Noneofyourfuckingbusiness and I like eyeliner.

**Mrs. Laurie**: Um, er, great improvement, Thalia. Grover, would you like to go next?

**Grover**: I'm Grover Underwood, I'm addicted to meth, I'm from Colorado and I like music and nature.

**Thalia**: Nerd

**Percy**: *Chuckles*

**Mrs. Laurie:** Thalia, respect. Why don't you go next, deary?

**Silena**: Um, hi. I'm Silena from Florida, and I'm anorexic.

**Mrs. Laurie:** Any other information?

**Silena**: Um, I like running.

**Mrs. Laurie:** Very good, why about you, honey?

**Me**: I'm Annabeth Chase. I live in California. And my issues are none of your business.

**Mrs. Laurie**: So we can't even get a sneak peek?

**Me**: No.

**Mrs. Laurie:** Okay, okay. Any other things you want us to know about you?

**Me**: Not in this lifetime.

**Mrs. Laurie**: How about your favorite animal?

**Me**: What does that have to do with anything?

**Mrs. Laurie**: Nothing, it's just something you can tell us so we know you better.

**Me**: Fine, if it will help then, I like owls.

**Mrs. Laurie**: Truly swell! Let's move on.

**Thalia**: Whoa, whoa, whoa!

**Mrs. Laurie**: Thalia, what's wrong?

**Thalia**: I just don't think it's fair that she doesn't have to tell us what's wrong with her.

**Percy**: Thales, chill out! It's her first day.

**Grover**: Yeah, give her a break.

**Thalia**: What about me on my first day? I had to share everything! I never got a _break_!

**Mrs. Laurie**: *Sigh* Okay, then. Annabeth, could you just tell us? Please?

**Me**: I don't want to.

**Mrs. Laurie**: Babe, no one wants or wanted to. We all went through it, now it's your turn.

**Me**: Fine. My name is Annabeth Chase, I live in California, and I am addicted to alcohol.

**Mrs. Laurie**: Now, sweetie, was that so hard?

**Me**: Worse than you think.

**Mrs. Laurie**: Any other information you would like to share?

**Me**: No.

That was when the bell rang and everyone thought they knew everything about me. But they were wrong. Secrets were bouncing around inside of me. They didn't know what made my parents send me here. They didn't know my family. They didn't know my past. They didn't know what else I was trying to hide.

**A/N: Sorry, short chapter. Tell me what you think of it and any ideas for coming chapters!**


	3. Oops

**Oops**

**Annabeth's POV**

After group was finally over, Percy led me into a small green room where we would have our "free time". There were a lot of other patients there; making crafts, drawing, reading, writing, playing cards, and there was even a weird group meditating in the far corner. "Here," Percy snapped me out of my trance, "let's sit in the corner over there." I followed him into an empty corner where small tables were set up with paper, markers and crayons that were spread across the white surface. Small streaks of colors covered the tables, from people who colored off the paper. There were also cartoon cats, dicks, and zombies drawn in the corners. Beautiful.

Percy picked up a blue marker and started to draw. He made a straight blue line across the page. "What are you making?" I asked, gazing at his paper. He smiled and answered, "You'll see when I'm done. Why don't you draw something?" I hadn't picked up any coloring utensil since fourth grade. I felt like the colors were too strong and bright to explain my emotions. I had only sketched people, houses, and trees in sharpie in the corner of my math books. Drawing was oddly new to me, now. Luckily, they had black sharpies. I plucked one out of a green bin and started to draw.

I guess I got lost in thought and I didn't realize what I was drawing. I had been thinking of the reason why my parents finally sent me here and somehow it got onto my paper. The sharp scent of the permanent marker burned in my nose. A bitter taste swelled in my mouth. I quickly flipped my paper over and put a fresh page on top of it. I did a quick side glance at Percy; it looked like he didn't see. He was gracefully moving his marker around the paper, switching colors every couple seconds. I still couldn't make out what he was drawing so I started a new piece. I tried to stay focused but my mind wandered again and my thoughts were etched onto the white page. Percy capped a green marker and grinned at me. "I'm done." he announced, "Do you know what it is?"

I looked thoughtfully at his paper. "Is it the beach?" I asked. Percy nodded enthusiastically. Then he picked up my drawing. I quickly sat on the first one, hiding it from view. "A river?" he questioned, "With people on either side? What is this supposed to mean?" I took my drawing back and looked at it. "You see," I started, "The river defines separation of the people. The people look exactly the same, but still, they are put on either side of the river." Percy nodded thoughtfully. "Yeah, I get it." he stated, "But can't they just cross over to the side they want to be on?" I had to think a little bit before answering. "You see, Percy." I answered, "The crossing of the river would be the most difficult task one of the people could ever accomplish.

"Cool." he announced, "It has a lot more meaning than my beach." We both laughed. It felt good to laugh again. I hadn't laughed for a long time. "Annabeth?" he inquired, "Do you want to join the infinity group?" I cocked my head to the right. "What's that?" I asked.

"It's kind of like a club." he answered, "A few people are in it. Once you're in, it means that we stick by each other's side for forever. We won't lose touch after we leave and we will stay friends for infinity."

"That sounds cool." I stated, "What do I have to do to get in? Who else is in it?"

"Right now, it's only Thalia, Grover, and me. All you have to do to get in is agree you'll stay with us for infinity."

"I like it. I agree."

"Awesome"

Before I could protest, he snatched up the sharpie and pulled up my sleeve. The cuts from the past two years puffed out in an unattractive way. "Oops." he apologized. I sat up abruptly, knocking over the table with its contents. "Annabeth, wait!" he called. I wanted to get out. That was impossible, though, with the security guards hanging around and guarding the exits. Percy grabbed my arm and dragged me back to our corner. "Stop crying." he commanded. I hadn't even noticed that tears were spilling from my eyes. They landed on my drawing, making black splotches.

Slower, this time, he took my wrist and gently pulled my sleeve up. He uncapped the sharpie and carefully drew the infinity sign on my left wrist. He gently blew it dry then took my right arm and drew the destiny sign. He pulled up his own sleeve and showed me his own signs. "Now, we're inseparable." he stated. "Every morning, retrace these signs to keep out friendships alive." He gave me the sharpie and the bell rang.


	4. Me and the Mental Patients Take PE

**Me and the Mental Patients Take P.E.**

**Annabeth's POV**

Even in rehab, they have to have physical education. They claim to want to keep all the patients "in tip top shape" so when we get out we won't be fat and clean, but _not_ fat and clean. I have no place in gym class. Even in school I either stand in the corner hoping that no one notices me, or I say I have to go to the bathroom and stay there the whole time. The only sport I ever liked was gymnastics but I had to give it up because it was too expensive. Yes, my once a week gymnastic classes were more expensive than Bobby and Matthew's three day a week country club golf lessons.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa." I froze in place and told Percy, "We have to go to gym?" Percy chucked and kept walking, "No, I was lying…yes we have gym." he replied. I groaned and stomped down the green tiled hall. "That is so stupid!" I complained, "Do they make us change clothes?"

"Sadly." he responded and flicked the curled edge of a poster that said, "There's nowhere to go but up!"

"Damn. This so going to be terrible."

"Don't be so negative. It could be worse."

"What could make it worse?"

"They could make us shower."

"Good point."

We stopped at a wooden door. "Girls Locker Rooms" was printed in peeling yellow paint on the top. "I'll see you in there." Percy called out as he left me in the dust. Before I could ask him if there was any way to ditch, he was halfway down the hall. I sighed and pushed the door open. Hot, musty air blew me in the face followed by a faint smell of disinfecting spray. I let out a small cough. The walls were sea foam green and the floor had small blue tiles that were neatly aligned. I took a few steps down a dark corridor to come to a bright room. There were lockers smaller than shoeboxes lined up against the walls. There were four rows of baby lockers the same color as the walls. There were a few pale girls spread out, changing into a white tee-shirt and navy mesh shorts that came down just past their knees. "Hello!" someone chirped from behind me. I spun around to face an old woman with graying hair. She had on a grey sweatshirt and green sweatpants with bunny slippers. It was quite a fashion statement.

"You must be Ms. Annabeth Chase." she stated. I nodded and she scooted me over to the end row of lockers. Silena was there, shoving her twig legs into an extra small pair of shorts. She had pulled the tightening strings out as far as they could go but the shorts still sagged low on her hips. "Here is your locker." the old woman continued, "In here is your clothes for P.E. You will be expected to change every day you have gym and to shower that night during your bathroom time." Before I could ask any questions, she was shuffling away in her pink bunny slippers.

I gingerly pulled the door to my locker open and pulled out the tee shirt I was required to wear. I pulled my own shirt over my head and threw it into the locker. I put on the white shirt and looked down at myself. My teddy bear bra was very visible. I shrugged and thought _what are you gonna do?_ before taking my pants off and shoving them into my locker. My shorts were small on me even though they were a medium. I looked over at Silena who had yanked the strings out a foot each.

I left my hair down and kept my sneakers on. I walked across the sticky floor and through a door that had "Gymnasium" painted on the top. The door was heavy and a gust of hot wind blew me in the face when I pushed it open. Suddenly, the room was noisy. I could hear the pounding of basketballs on the wooden floor, the spring as rebounds were missed, and if you listened closely, you would be able to hear the low buzz of the lights that hung above. I sat next to a piece of gum on the bleachers. "You'll be my friend. Won't you?" I asked the gum. The gum did not reply. Maybe I did belong here after all. How often does a teenage girl talk to gum? Three whistled were blown and all the patients ran for the bleachers. I got stuck between a fat kid with bad acne and a pale short kid with bags under his eyes.

"Hey babe," he winked, "How ya doing?" He must've been 12. I brushed him away and scooted a half a centimeter towards the fat kid. The fat kid sneezed and I scooted back. "Alright, weasels." The main gym teacher paced in front of us with a microphone. "I hope you don't expect to get out of Phys. Ed. just because you're "special". Sorry to break it to you, but you're not. You guys aren't special. You're messed up, crazy in the head. You weren't born with a problem. You put it upon yourselves. Now, I hope whatever drugs you took don't affect exercise. We're starting out with soccer. Girls verses boys. I think we all know whose gonna win." he mumbled that last part. How sexist.

In a matter of ten minutes; we were on the field. And in another ten minutes, I was dirty, sweaty, and tired. I didn't even play the game. Weird boys and girls kept pushing me down and chasing me. I didn't remember much of the rest of the day because the next thing I knew, a ball was coming straight towards my face.

I guess I wasn't out for long because I woke up on wet grass not far from where I was standing. Grass clippings clung to my arms and dew soaked through my shorts and shirt. I sat up wearily and my head spun. The male teacher came over to me and yanked me off the ground. "We don't have time for foolishness, people!" he yelled, "Stop messing around and play the game!" He didn't ask me if I wanted a break. If I was hurt. If I wanted to go to the nurse. My answer would've been yes to all three.

After gym was over, I met Percy in the hallways headed towards lunch. "Hey, how's it going?" he asked. I sighed and ran my hand through my hair. "Terrible." I muttered.

"What? Why? What happened?"

"I got knocked out in gym and the teacher shoved me back in the game."

"Wow. That sucks _ass._ I was playing goalie for my team and I guess I wasn't paying attention. How long were you out?"

"Only a few seconds, I think."

"Does your head hurt?"

I didn't notice how much it hurt until he asked me. A flash on pain ripped through my head. I stumbled a bit. He swooped down and supported me by wrapping his arm around my waist.

"Thanks. Yeah, I guess it does."

"Why don't I take you to the nurse's office?"

"No! I mean, er, I'm good. I'll be okay."

"You sure? You don't look to hot."

"What?"

"It's a saying."

"Yeah, well, I'm fine."

Lunch was pretty boring. I wasn't in the mood to eat so I just listened to Percy, Thalia, Grover, and Silena's conversation.

"So, what do you call an alligator in a vest?" Percy asked with delight, "An in_vest_igator!"

"That's not that funny." Thalia stated, unfazed.

"It's a little funny." Grover added, "I mean, like, it's clever and all."

"It's not funny." Thalia stated again.

"Okay, then. It's not." Grover caved. He seemed intimidated by Thalia.

"Fine. Be heartless people who don't enjoy alligator jokes." Percy shrugged.

"_I_ like your joke, Percy." Silena puckered.

"Thank you, Silena." Percy thanked, "See, Silena likes my joke."

"Whatever." Thalia droned, "Let's get to the good stuff."

"Yeah, I agree with Thalia." Grover announced. Thalia's expression remained the same. Grover's face fell a bit.

"So, what's the plan?" Percy inquired.

"I say we all make fake passes saying we have a late-night group session." Thalia stated.

"I like that idea." Grover complimented. Thalia's expression still remained the same.

"What's the plan for? What are you guys planning?" Silena asked.

"A little party, just for us though." Thalia answered.

"Three times a week we sneak out of this place and go to the local supermarket." Percy explained.

"Then we buy alcohol and cigs and other stuff." Grover continued.

"The bitches who run this place don't even notice. And if they do, they don't care." Thalia fake sighed.

"Where do you get the money?" Silena asked.

"Ever heard of shoplifting?" Thalia yawned like the topic wasn't new to her.

"So basically, we need a new plan because we almost got caught last time." Grover said.

I went over the new information in my head. An alarm bell sounded in my head, this wasn't right. We were here to get better and fix our issues, not sneak out after hard work and blow it. But, what they were discussing sounded really enjoyable. I needed a drink desperately. Before I could stop myself, I blurted, "Sounds fun, I'm in." Percy grinned at me. "Awesome." he cheered, "So you guys know the plan. See you tonight." I must have zoned out again. Damn. I would have to get Silena to tell me the plan.

**A/N: I hope you guys liked this chapter. I need to get it moving because I have so many ideas and so little time! I apologize about the super slow updates. Luv ya! **


	5. Fresh Air

**Fresh Air**

**Thalia's POV**

Percy, Grover, and I had been sneaking out for quite some time, now. I actually started the tradition. I soon, in my first week of being here, figured out that they left the kitchen doors unlocked, and the doors leading outside from the kitchen. The first time I got a whiff of that fresh fall air, I felt like singing. And I can tell you, I am not the type of person who sings. The hospital is several blocks from a park, library, and rows of merchandise-packed goods that were perfect for stealing. We have to be really careful sneaking out. The last time, the kitchen doors locked on us, we had to stay in the dirty kitchen overnight, as soon as the first cook unlocked the doors; we bolted to our rooms. He obviously didn't mention the incident to the authorities because we heard nothing about it afterwards. I just hope the plan works smoothly this time.

Luckily, I have a lot of street cred here. People know not to ask me about my problems and how anything makes me "feel." Nothing makes me feel. Oh, actually, wanna know what makes me feel? Drugs, alcohol, and eyeliner, my three favorite things. Drugs don't ask why I'm here, alcohol never asks how I feel, and eyeliner knows not to fucking question Thalia Grace. If I could trade my family in for those three blessings, good Lord, I would. My old psychiatrist, Dr. Hisnamewaswaytoolongformetor emember, always was asking me about my family. I really, truly, with all of my small shriveled heart, hate my family. "Oh, you don't really mean that!" everyone tells me. Yes, _everyone_ tells me; my mom, my dad, my aunts and uncles, my teachers, my school guidance counselors, Dr. Whooeymababber, even my now ex-best friends tell me. But they don't know. They don't know my life, they don't know how I feel, and they can't ever change my mind. Wanna know why? Because I'm Thalia Grace, and _everyone_ knows not to fucking question Thalia Grace.

If someone has an opinion, I don't give a damn about it. But if that opinion has to do with me, I am now in your fucking way, buddy. One of my many mottos is; Give me three good reasons why. I hate my mom because she tries too hard for me to like her, she always is telling me to be more like my brother (who is freaking 12), and she sent me to this dumbass asylum. I hate my dad because he suggested that I get put in an asylum, he never lets me wear bikinis (not that I listen), and he tells me that I should wear different things which is practically saying he doesn't like my personality or how I am. Great support, right? Well, sure, I can be a little nasty sometimes but it's all because of them giving me shit. "Did you put the dishes away?" "How come you failed a math test? Look at your brother, he aced his." "Thalia, you are not going out in that outfit, go change."

The only person who I like is my brother, Jason. It's not his fault my parents like him better than me. Jason listens to me, Jason talks to me, and Jason understands me. He's patient enough to listen to my problems, but then could go on for hours about his problems and his field trip to the zoo. He agrees with me, even though I'm wrong sometimes. But, best of all, he always knows what to say. He can arrange words so perfectly; you'd think he was Shakespeare. His words flow like water sweeping off a mountain and arranging a beautiful waterfall. His voice is so lovely, that I could use it as a lullaby. If I could wish for anything right now, it would be for Jason to be at my side.

I wouldn't even want to leave this asylum. In here, I'm protected. I get free food, a nice place to sleep, and nobody who can judge me. In here, no one judges each other because we're all as fucked up as the next guy. I would stay here forever if Jason was here. But, he's not, and that is part of my well-hidden motivation to convince the doctors that I'm better and get out of here. Or, get out by actually getting better. But I honestly don't think that's physically or mentally possible for me. I started drinking when I was thirteen, four years ago. My dad was married, but he apparently got intimate with another woman, thus, I was born. My dad then divorced his old wife and got married to my mom and they had another baby, Jason. My dad's original wife hates me to this day and blames me for everything. You might be able to tell why I started drinking at such a young age.

Then, two years later, when I was 15, I was introduced to the wonderful world of drugs. When you use drugs, everything else melts away, literally, that's what you see. It's fucking heaven. And there is nothing else in the world that could take away the feeling of being light and free and invincible. Sure, you quickly learn that you aren't actually invincible, but it's a good feeling. Jason, being his smart self, quickly caught on to what I was doing and told me to stop. I was so high, I couldn't understand him. I went on doing drugs for another year until I found out about prescription pills. They had almost identical effects and they were _much_ easier to get. So I used those for a year until I got busted. I had a little too much to drink and got pulled over, only to have my entire car searched, where the pills, alcohol, and the last bit of weed were stocked in the trunk. Bam. Now I'm here.

Back to the present, the sneaking out plan was pretty simple. We would first all meet up in the unisex bathroom on the second floor at midnight, after the last room check. Grover was bringing an extra shoe. Next, we would sneak into the kitchen, still on the second floor, and Grover would prop open the door with his shoe, so we could get out. Then, we hop out the window and climb down the uneven brick wall to the ground. After that, we duck under the flexible fence and voila, we are free until six in the morning, when the guards go into our rooms to wake us up. Well, we actually are free until five, so we can get back without rushing. Easy as pie.

When the little hand on my forever ticking clock landed on the 12, I pretended to be fast asleep. I tried my best to keep my breathing even and low. Soon enough, my door opened a crack and I heard the heavy footsteps of the guard walk into and out of the room. My roommate, Callie, was submerged in deep sleep so I slid out of bed and slipped on my shoes easily. I crept down the eerie blue-walled hallway and into the bathroom where we would meet. Percy and Grover were already there. When I pushed open the sticky door, to get a good whiff of bathroom air, I heard a low whisper, "Thalia? Is that you?" it asked. I walked closer and replied, "Yeah, Percy?" Percy poked his head over the blue stall he was hiding in and smiled. "Awesome. Glad you made it in time. Grover's in the next stall over. No one else has come in yet." I casually walked into the stall next to Grover's and locked the cold handle. "Hey, Thalia." Grover chattered. It was freezing in the bathroom. I guess since everyone was asleep they didn't bother turning the freaking heat on. We waited in silence for a minute until the door creaked open.

"Jesus Christ." someone panted, "Percy? Grover? Thalia?" Percy looked over the stall again and responded, "Great, guys, Annabeth and Silena are here. You ready to head out?" Two clicks of Grover and my locks clicking open echoed throughout the bathroom. "What the hell happened?" I questioned. Silena spoke up, "We almost got caught. We waited until our room got checked and we must've left too early because we almost met up in the hallway. We ran all the way here." Silena had to stop and breathe. "It only matters that you guys made it." Percy stated, "Now let's hurry because I don't want to have to run back here." With that, we slipped out the door and down the carpeted hall. When we reached the kitchen, Grover propped the door open with his shoe after we were all inside. I heaved the window open as wide as it could go and sat on the sill. I turned so my feet were dangling over the edge of the outside and placed my foot on the most protruding brick I saw. I started my way down and everyone soon followed. My body cast a long shadow over the rough and sloppily placed bricks.

About halfway down, Annabeth's foot slipped and Percy made a heroic save by grabbing her waist with one arm. Their faces were so close; I could've sworn they were going to kiss. Instead they both blushed and continued their way down. After an excruciating climb, we all made it down safely. We were all tired, but Silena was the most since she hardly had any food in her body. We carefully made our way across the wet grass and to the opening in the fence. I held it open while everyone ducked under and out. When I was out, I let myself take my first real breath of fresh air. The air was sweet and crisp with a chill. I couldn't help but to grin. I looked around to see all of us grinning. We probably looked ridiculous, just standing outside of an asylum and fucking grinning. But I was happy, and to me, that was all that mattered. I couldn't help but to think of how much nicer it would've been to have Jason next to me.

Once we all had our moment, we started down the rocky side walk to the town. Percy made jokes and the girls laughed. Grover and I just walked along, enjoying our freedom. When the town lights came into view, we all laughed and ran to them. They twinkled like stars and some shined as bright as the sun. They were dazzling against the black sky. We first made our way into Wal-Mart, an easy shoplifting spot. I plucked three magazines off the shelves and swept several sticks of eyeliner off a stand. I stored these easily in a plastic Wal-Mart bag I found crumpled outside the store. I also stocked up on chips and candy. As I was walking to pretend I was waiting in line, my eyeliner-ed eyes landed on an instant developing disposable camera. I dropped that into the bag and walked along. When we all had our bags full of goods we each pretended to check out at a different cashier, so no one would be suspicious. When we got close to the front of the line, we sneaked behind the person checking out and out of the automatic doors. "That. Was. Awesome!" Annabeth cheered. She obviously hadn't had much fun in a while. "The night has just begun." I smirked and we ran to the next store.

**A/N: PLEASE NOTE: Omygosh. Did I seriously not update since freaking OCTOBER? I am such an ass to you guys. Do not fret, this new, writing an author's note before the actual story thing is a one-time thing. I just felt so bad; I needed to apologize, desperately. So, please enjoy the new chapter, and a super special thanks to JACKSONLUVER101-for the idea of Percy finding out that Annabeth cuts herself and FANFICRULZ1- for the coming idea for a new character! And also, thank you- WITCHESBREW2, for giving me to motivation to continue writing, with your comment- "****OMG this story is so good. i hope you update soo because I would love to read some more. The whole idea is so out there and yet it works great thats why I could not wait to read this story soon. keep up the great work and like you said lets get this moving." I will not forget to thank all of my beautiful commenters for writing their glorious comments. Except for the mean ones, I don't like you. You hurt my feelings. **


	6. This is Not Happening

**This is Not Happening**

"It was that one moment of depression and complete stupidity that led me to where I am now."

**Annabeth's POV**

Even though the red plastic booth I was sitting in was sticky and coated in half-eaten fries, the light bulbs over my head gave off a yellow, flickering light, and the fact that I probably looked like shit, I could never have been happier. Sitting with my new best friends, having broken out of the mental hospital our bitter parents had sent us to, I felt more at home than ever. I felt like I belonged and a little badass for shoplifting and sneaking out. "We are going back, aren't we?" I asked generally, popping a greasy fry in my mouth. Thalia grabbed a handful of fries from the plastic basket in the center of the table and shoved them in her mouth. "I think we have to." she stated through a mouthful of potatoey goodness. The fries were so good, even Silena had one.

"I wish we never have to go back." I sighed, "I'm having more fun than I've ever had in my whole life." As I leaned back against the booth, the plastic creaked. "Maybe we don't have to go back." Percy added. Thalia groaned and puffed a strand of black hair out of her narrowed eyes. "And what, may I ask, is the logic behind that?" she inquired.

"You see, fellow patients," Percy continued, "I have a plan." Thalia moaned and rolled her eyes, "Shit, Percy has another plan." Percy leaned forward in his seat, like he was about to share with us about how he solved world peace. "Shut up, Thalia." he snapped before continuing, "So, we all find a good campground to stay on while one of us goes back to sign us all out, actually, two people would go so then they could bring back all of our shit we left there. Then, we all get a job and on our second day, we take all the money from the registers. So, we'll have a lot of money and be free." There was a moment of silence as we all took in the information. "Flaw." Thalia exclaimed after a few seconds, "How will we get a job? Who would hire a dirty teenager who looks like, and has been, living off the streets?" Just then, a man with the most putrid odor protruded from the kitchen of the diner. He coughed and scratched his throat. "Hey!" he called over, "Any of y'all need work? I need some goddamn help around this place."

Thalia turned back to Percy and said, "Okay, point taken." Silena let out a high-pitched giggle and Grover snorted with laughter. Before I knew it, we were all laughing. "I fucking love you guys." Thalia laughed. I leaned my head back and clutched my stomach, having a laughing fit. It had been so long since I finally had enjoyed a good laugh. "C'mon, you guys." Thalia announced after several minutes, "We'd better find another place before old stinky here gets a bad image about where we might've come from." Percy shrugged his backpack over his right shoulder and agreed, "Yeah, plus, I have a fun _thing_ to do before we have to head back." Silena slid out from the booth and asked, "What _kind_ of fun?" Percy smirked and began walking towards the door. "You'll see what _kind_ of _fun_ we're going to _have_ in a moment." Silena emitted her classic giggle and Thalia whapped Percy on the back of his head. "Stop over-exaggerating words, it only sounds suspicious." she scolded. Percy walked a good distance ahead of her before replying, "But it _is _suspicious_."_

Running with my new best friends along the cracked streets of some ghetto town in the middle of nowhere was absolutely exhilarating. Well, Thalia was more like chasing Percy, but that's not the point. The smell of stale gas and wet concrete filled my nose and cleared my head. The bluish and yellowish street lights shone above us and the dark, star streaked sky was like a cool blanket over us. Eventually, we all collapsed on a grassy hill. There was one willow tree, standing strong and tall. The brown and green leaves swayed on the flimsy branches. I put my hands behind my head and lied down on the soft hill. "So, what is thing fun thing that you have?" Silena asked, the secret was killing her. Percy plopped his backpack on the ground and pulled out a small baggie full of a powdery substance. Silena cocked he head to the side and asked, "Um, what is it?"

Percy chuckled before answering her, "It's pot." he answered casually. _Beep beep beep! _An alarm went off in my head. I knew that smoking pot was bad and that if I did it, my life would do another flip. I knew that when I took my first sip of bitter vodka. I knew it when I first placed that ice cold razor blade to my fragile wrist. I especially knew it when I first placed that first small white round pill of ecstasy on my tongue. The one pill, smaller than a pea, that would change my life forever. I knew that doing all these things would hurt me. But I did them anyway. My arm extended and my fingers curled around the small white roll that Percy had held out to me. The tip was singed and glowed orange. I knew that if I placed the papery roll to my lips and took a breath in, those orange lights would turn a brilliant yellow, the yellow becoming more vivid each hit. I couldn't resist it, even though everything in my body seems to scream "no" in bloody murder. Everything except my hand.

As soon as the sweet smoke filled my lungs, I was immediately flashed back to the last time I had smoked. I remember it so well. The black sky was streaked with dazzling stars. Laughter, giggles, booming voices, and pounding music filled my ears. I was leaning against Butch's car hood. He had just gotten a new mustang that he was showing off in his backyard. Steam from the pool rose and swirled in the air, giving the air a soft essence and the sleet floor a slippery texture. With a cosmo in my hand, I was laughing. Laughing at some stupid joke someone had made. I was having a great time. I couldn't remember the last time I had a great time without drugs. It didn't matter to me. My straightened hair hung loosely against my shoulders and my new flowing Abercrombie dress brushed my knees. My head leaned back in laughter, enjoying every minute.

I snapped back to reality. I puffed out the smoke and passed the joint to Thalia. I knew it was wrong, but I just couldn't stop myself. Imagine that you have a box in front of you and someone tells you, "There's something good in there. I know it. You know it. Everyone knows it. Are you gonna open it?" And at that point, your fingers are perched on the rim, ready to reveal the secret inside. But, then the person says, "Wait, if you open it, you will see what's inside, but it will hurt you. Your life will never be normal again." Now you aren't sure if you want to open it. Is it worth it to open it? If you were smart, you would walk away, but with me, it was that one moment of depression and complete stupidity that led me to where I am now, escaped from a rehabilitation center, smoking pot in a ghost town, with the lost trust of my parents floating around me and getting swept away in the wind. That guy over there opened the box and he looks more than fine. He looks like he can run a marathon and then go skiing. So you shrug and think, "Well, everyone else is doing it." And you do it. And you only hurt yourself.

The joint was passed around so many times, I lost track after 22. After about an hour, Grover jumped up and shouted, "YOLO!" before rolling down the soft green grass of the hill we were resting on. Silena whooped and rolled down with him, followed by Percy and Thalia. I didn't want to be left out, so I plunged right down with them, shrieking with joy. The world was a flash of brilliant colors. When I reached the bottom, my head was spinning and everything felt as if it was morphing and melting away. I was vaguely aware of the tall man in blue walk towards us. "Excuse me ladies and gentlemen." he grunted, "Can you stand up and walk over here, forming a straight line in front of me?" I wearily got up and walked in front of him, disregarding the fact that he could either rape me or arrest me. "What are your names, kids?" he inquired. "Thalia Grace, whoop!" Thalia answered. "I'm Per-cy Jack-son, you silly bastard." Percy replied. "G-man 665!" Grover hollered. "Sileeennnnnaaaa B-B-B-B-B-B!" Silena giggled. The man turned to me, his aged face lined with wrinkles and spots. "Annabeth Chase." I responded without thinking.

"You folks are under arrest for drug abuse." the man stated. "What? No, man," Percy interjected, "You got it wrong, we're just a group of dudes chillin' out." The man didn't look convinced. "Okay, then." he grunted , "What's this?" His stubby fingers held on to the half empty bag of pot. "And don't even try to tell me this isn't yours because I found this next to it, with Little Miss's lipstick on it." He presented the joint with Thalia's blood red lipstick smeared on the tip. "Shit! Run!" Percy shouted and we all bolted. My legs pumped as fast as they would go. There was no going back. A whistle screeched in my ears and more cops pounced from behind trees. My eyes began to tear from the pulsing wind. Two rough hands grabbed my wrists and I collapsed with pain. I looked at my wrists, white with pressure. The cop yanked me up, almost dislocating my shoulder and jabbed me from behind with gun. I walked where he led me, all my friends waiting. I could've sworn there were tears in Thalia's eyes.

"Now, tell me the truth." The cop roared, "Where did you come from, and what are you doing here?" Silent tears fell from my face and onto the perfectly green grass. I was an embarrassment to my whole family, like a coffee stain on a piece of white silk. Stringy blonde hair stuck to my face from the deafening wind that had just picked up. "We're from the mental hospital over town." I choked. I knew someone had to say it and the silence was killing me. "We escaped and snuck out here to have some fun. I swear to God, we were going to go back." There was a murderous silence for ten excruciating seconds. The wind made my wet face cold and sticky so my hair matted to it more and blocked my vision. "Put these rascals in the car." the main cop told the others, "They will be taken in for interrogation and alcohol testing." This was not happening.

**A/N: HHHHHOOOOOLLLLLLLLYYYYY shit. I have been working on this for weeks. I started it a while ago and never finished it, so here I am, finishing it. I think this is possibly the BEST chapter I have ever written, so I hope you like, loved it. And I don't praise my work. Don't worry; I will never forget about you, I think of new stories and ideas every day. This story is my favorite to write, so be prepared to see much more! I love you guys. **


	7. Ashamed

**Ashamed**

"I remembered drawing dirty pictures in lipstick on all the mirrors and windows in the house, sticking my head out the car window, flashing random people, doing all dumb things just to get a group of asses to like me. But I guess that made me an ass, too."

**Annabeth's POV**

Stupid, stupid, stupid! For my entire life, every decision I've made has been stupid. If I had never taken that one sip of vodka, this would never be happening. I'm such a fucking ass! Everything hit me when the metal bars clanged shut in front of my face. When the key was taken out of the lock and hung up on a metal hook, three feet away. I never knew it would come to this. I thought I could handle my decisions, but I was fucking, God damn wrong. Dead wrong. I was so, so, so _wrong_! I felt like the dumbest person ever to live. I was an embarrassment to my family and anyone who ever trusted me. I was ashamed of myself.

After the cop walked away, leaving me in a musty cell with a bench, a metal cot, a toilet, and a single blue bulb, I broke down crying. My whole body crumpled to the floor in a mournful heap. Lying on the floor, my knees were pressed up against my chest and my hands were covering my shameful face. Rapid, staggered breaths came from my mouth and I didn't even try to stop them and stand strong. I just didn't care anymore. I had never wanted to die more in my entire life. Just as I was thinking of ways to possibly kill myself, a face appeared in my mind. It was a beautiful face, a face worth living for. It was Percy Jackson. His breathtaking green eyes and long black hair was so perfect, I would never want to die without him. A loud slam brought me back to Earth.

"C'mon, Missy." one of the cops said. He had a buzz cut and tanned skin. The bars were open and the man was waiting for me. "We don't have all day." he grumbled, glancing at the clock. I shakily stood up and limped over to him. He nudged me down an eerie hallway before leading me into a small, pale blue room with two plastic chairs and a table. "Sit." he ordered and I sat in the tight, uncomfortable chair. He sat down in the blue chair opposite of me and held his pencil perched over a composition notebook.

**Cop**: So, what's your name?

**Me**: Annabeth Chase.

**Cop**: So, where did you say you came from?

**Me**: The mental hospital from the next town over.

**Cop**: Do you know the name of it?

**Me**: No.

**Cop**: Who are your friends?

**Me**: Percy, Silena, Grover, and Thalia.

**Cop**: I suppose you met them there.

**Me**: Yes.

**Cop**: Did you drink any alcohol?

**Me**: No.

**Cop**: Did you smoke the substance in that bag?

**Me**: Yes.

**Cop**: Are you aware of the danger you're putting yourself in when you do that?

**Me**: Y-yes.

**Cop**: Are you aware of how much trouble you are in right now?

**Me**: Mmhmm.

**Cop**: Do your parents know about this.

**Me**: No.

**Cop**: Now, would you like to share why you were put in that mental hospital?

I didn't want to tell him, but the truth had to be shared sometime. It all came pouring out, "I was never a bad kid, really. I was really good, with good grades, a nice personality, and parents who actually trusted me. One day, I just got really stressed over school and life because I had no friends and everyone thought I was a loser, goody-two-shoed, freak. So, I wanted to prove them wrong. It was the stupidest decision I had ever made in my whole life. That night, I went to this party everyone was talking about, all dressed up and ready to do anything I could for them to accept me. I didn't want to be the way I used to be. So I drank the smallest sip of vodka, and everyone liked me. It seemed a little too easy, so I needed to do more. I smoked with them, dirty danced with them, and did whatever they told me to."

I flashed back to the night of the party, leaning against the hood of Butch's car, drinking and laughing. Drinking was the only way to hang out with them and have fun. I remembered drawing dirty pictures in lipstick on all the mirrors and windows in the house, sticking my head out the car window, flashing random people, doing all dumb things just to get a group of asses to like me. But I guess that made me an ass, too. I just wanted to fit in for once, and be a teenager. But drinking and smoking doesn't make you a teenager, and I learned that the hard way. The next morning, all the pictures from the night before were online. I was tagged in almost every one. I tried to get them taken off, but it was no use. My parents got an angry e-mail from Butch' parents whose house the party was at. He apparently blamed it on me, I tried to explain that the party wasn't my idea to start, but I had already lost my parents trust. The next day, it was off to the rehab center. I told the cop everything.

He jaggedly scribbled as much as he could on his notepad. Salty tears escaped my eyes and silently fell onto my lap as I spoke. He was the only person who I had told my story to. He led me back to my cell and locked me in once again. I felt shame, embarrassment, and stupid for doing this to myself. I would never be able to start a life. Even with Percy. What would we tell our kids if they asked how mommy and daddy met? Or even if we just had to tell our friends and parents how we started dating. Little did the cop know, I left out one key piece of information.

The rest of my time at the prison was a blur. I remember how my mom and dad came in, silent ad they usually are these days, disappointment in their eyes. I remember seeing Percy's mom come in, and Thalia, Grover, and Silena's parents, too. All of them looked like they would rather be anywhere but where they were. I remember my parents working it out with the police, complaining about the lack of supervision in the Mental Institution, and telling them that we were all unstable and it wasn't our fault. Even though they were defending me, the words socked me right in the gut. My own parents. Calling me unstable. Eventually, they decided that it would be best just to put us back in the rehab center and forget about the whole thing. Two hundred dollars and an unstable child later.

^~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.~.^

To forgive and forget is excruciatingly hard. That's why I was sent away. No one in town can forget or forgive me for what I almost did to that little boy. Jamie, cute, little four year old Jaime, just learning how to read, sitting underneath the big oak tree in front of his house, at nine fifteen Sunday morning. His parents let him stay home from church, to practice reading his big book of fairy tales. And I almost killed him. Still a little drunk, and way hung-over from the night before, sleeping in Butch's closet, I awoke to my phone bleating. Neaap! Neaap! Neaap! I woke up with a searing pain in my head, like the world's biggest paper cut on my brain. My shaved legs were sprawled out in front of me. My hair was a tangled, frizzy mess. My phone was on an alarm I had precautious-ly set the night before. "Are you drunk? GET HOME. It's nine-o'clock in the morning!" My phone warned. "Shit." I muttered as I pulled myself from the floor. On my way out, two girls were on iPhones, leaning against the banister of the swirly stairs. The red heels I bought clacked against the white tile. "OMG. Annabeth, look at this one. It's so hot." The blonde one stated. I staggered over to see a picture of me and some sweaty guy I didn't know grinding against each other on the dance floor. I gasped; no one could see that photo. "Don't worry, I tagged you in all the ones your in." Blondie chirped. I knew I needed to get home right away. I flung off my shoes and held the straps in between my fingers. As I sprinted outside, the sun shined, the grass was warm on the feet, and the sky was a perfect blue. It was no time to appreciate the beauty of the day.

I jammed my key in ignition and gunned the gas. As I sped down the back roads, I started to feel really dizzy and nauseous. I closed my eyes for two unworthy seconds and when I opened them, the cutest chipmunk was in the road. Being the drunken idiot I was, not paying attention to the rule; do not swerve for animals, I crashed. Hitting the big oak tree in front of little Jamie's house. Luckily, I didn't kill him. But, he broke his nose from diving out of the way. I was passed out until I awoke in the hospital, where I was taken care of, then sent off to jail for four days, then put into a mental hospital. All I could think of is, "I'm an idiot." It was such a stupid thing to do. Drink alcohol and feel loopy and light for a night, do drugs just to see the world in prettier colors for a couple hours, do anything at all that was dumb, just to fit in. But, I wasn't fitting in. I was only putting myself into deeper danger of hurting myself, done, and hurting someone else, done. And even though it was fun at the time, I only was the Crowd's friend for a night. And, trust me. It wasn't worth it.

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**A/N: Short chapter! Sorry to disappoint. I haven't written in a while because I'm directing a movie with my friends, and I messed up my finger. **** Plus, my wi-fi hasn't been working for a about a week so, I wrote this DAYS ago and haven't been able to post it. So, have a happy break, if you have off this week, which I don't and is completely unfair, and don't drink and drive! This story was created for drug and alcohol abuse awareness and because my messed-up mind needed to share this twisted story I have come up with! Love you, and happy belated Valentine's Day! SUGAR! That is what Valentine's Day is for. 3 Love you.**


	8. Gone

**Gone**

**Percy's POV**

The look on my mom's face almost sent me to tears. My first day here was the worst day of my life, the humiliation and disappointment radiating from her was unbearable. I felt like the worst son in the world, a rock would be a better replacement than me. "Dude, no one's gonna find out." the other jocks teased me, "Or are you too chicken? _Bawk! Bawk!"_ I wasn't going to go to the party. My swim team had practice at six the next morning and I didn't want to stay up late to celebrate my school's football win. But everyone was going and my buddies convinced me that it would be fun. So, I went. And, I regretted it. I snorted cocaine, for the first time and definitely not for the last. I got hooked, and when the cops busted me, I was so pissed at myself f or being dumber than my normal self. Oddly, I'm sort of glad I got busted. Because when I came here, I met Annabeth Chase.

After the police let us back in the hospital, we were completely isolated from each other. I didn't see Annabeth for months, and when I did, it wasn't how I expected it. The same guards that led us all in were leading her out. Out! She was leaving this shit hole, and I wanted out, too. I watched in mourn as she exited, but a smile wasn't plastered on her face. She was almost to tears, her lip quivering, her eyes squinting with tears, her hands shaking. As she was lead back to the real world, I shouted out to her, trying to get her attention. She didn't turn around.

During free time, I ran to the one person I knew could get me out. Luke Castellan. He's been to over twelve mental hospitals in the past four years, and has broken out of every one. Usually, he wasn't allowed in free time, because he was known to have a bad influence on other patients. "I need your help." I panted, plopping down on the floor next to him. He flipped his long, blond hair out of his blue eyes and stared at me. He stopped sketching a detailed monster, placing his pencil down. "For what, exactly, do you need my help for?" He inquired.

"I need out."

"Easy. But, I need something in return."

I chose my words carefully, "I could hook you up with something."

"Heroin?"

"Easy."

Luke stroked the scar across his face as he thought. "Done." he stated. We shook hands. "Meet me in the bathroom on the second floor at exactly 12:05 p.m." I smirked and whispered, "See you then."

**Annabeth's POV**

I was a freak. Whispers spread throughout the hallways as I dragged my lifeless body from class to class. My hair was a conditioner-deprived mess from weeks in the institution and my face was grayish. I wish I was back in there. I only realized at that moment, polished people whispering and pointing, that I belonged in the mental hospital. I felt safe and protected with people that were like me. People with addictions, who didn't have to care about what they looked like, people who belonged together. But this was my chance. This was my moment to shine and be a better person. But, I didn't want to be a better person without Percy. I prayed for Percy the first night in my own bed. _Please let Percy become better. Please let him out. Please, or else I'll have to go in and get him._

**Percy's POV**

"Thanks, man." I whispered to Luke as he picked the lock to the open world. He didn't respond as he was hunched over in concentration. Eventually, the lock clicked and the door creaked open. "Not a problem." he replied as we crept out the door. We raced across the dead grass to the opening in the fence. After we were so far, we couldn't see the deathly building, we slowed. Panting, we high fived and began the long walk to our homes. "We'll go to your town first." Luke informed, "So you can pay me back." My face paled a little, remembering the bet. "Yeah, of course." I stated. I hoped to get to my town fast, but sadly, that wasn't the case. I lived hundreds of miles from the institution. There was no possible way we could get there on foot. "I have a plan." I told Luke, "We can pick money off of the ground and steal some from registers. Not enough so it looks like some is missing, though. Then, after a while we can buy train tickets and ride to my town." Luke nodded slowly as I talked; the moonlight cast a dark shadow across his face. "That seems like a good plan to me. Time consuming, but good." he droned. It took a little longer than we had hoped to get to my town, a month, actually, but we did it. And we were ready to take on the world as it came to us.

***PRECISELY ONE MONTH LATER***

**Annabeth's POV**

I put Percy in the back of my mind. I didn't have time to worry about him. I needed to take care of my life first. I bought new clothes, got a haircut, and even scored a job. My hair was still long, reaching two inched past my shoulder blades, much shorter than before. It was a Tuesday and I was at my job at the local burger shop, serving greasy fast food to chubby costumers. A skinny girl walked in. Too skinny. When her food arrived, a salad with croutons, her mother begged her to eat. She scarily reminded me of Silena. I carefully walked over. I was skinny, too, still not having recovered from the disgusting food that was offered in the institution. "Hey." I greeted them, giving a small wave. I sat down at the empty seat, my blue work dress crumpling. "My name is Annabeth." I was stuck for a second, not knowing how to lead into what I wanted to say. I took a deep breath and continued, "You don't know me, and I don't know you. But, you really have to trust me on this. You need to eat. I was in a Mental Institution for months. Now, you would think it's only for people with drug and alcohol addictions, but it's not. In there, there are people with all kinds of problems; depression, loss, anorexia. I know a girl named Silena and she's still in there, suffering from anorexia. I have never met you until a few seconds ago and I don't even know your name. You're beautiful and there are people who might be better than you, but no one should ever have to go through what she's going through. Or what anyone else in there is. And I don't want to see the same thing happen to you."

The girl was stunned for a minute. I hoped I didn't say too much. But instead of slapping me across the face, she whispered, "Thank you." Tears brimmed her eyes and she grabbed her mother's hamburger and shoved it into her mouth. I smiled and stood up. "It was my pleasure." I left the two, the mother happily watching her daughter eat, her eyes filled with tears, too. I giddily picked up someone's order of a hot dog and mustard and walked outside to deliver it to the outdoor tables. I recognized the face who I placed the meal in front of. "Butch?" I questioned. He looked up and took a double take. "Whoa!" he jumped, "Annabeth? Is that really you? I thought you got locked up!" I looked at the floor and sighed, "Only for a bit." He was too happy to see me. "We miss you! You're a great partier; we could use you at our next fling." My eyes widened and I took a small step back before somewhat confidently saying, "Oh, I don't really party anymore."

"What? That's crazy, dude! You rock!"

"Well, thanks, but I really shouldn't."

"C'mon. Everyone misses you."

"Sorry. I just can't."

I turned to leave before he grabbed my arm. "Just in case you change your mind, there's a party at Malcolm's on Friday. I want you to be there." I smiled sweetly and yanked my arm away. "I am not getting sucked back in." I growled through pearly white teeth before storming back into the restaurant. I left him looking confused, like he didn't know how I could resist the dangerous fun of a party that landed me in the mental hospital the last time.


	9. Faker

**Faker**

"_I was all alone in a big city, looking for one person in a crowd of thousands."_

**Annabeth's POV**

My bag crumpled against the floor beside my bed which I was sprawled on. I want out of my way to avoid Butch the rest of my shift. When he finally left, I picked up his empty red basket. "Call me." was scrawled in pen on the wax paper followed by a winking face. I tossed the remains along with the note into the garbage and slid the basket in the sink. I never wanted to see anyone from my school again, I confirmed after I was positive Butch was gone. Well, I definitely jinxed something because ten more people came to the diner that afternoon from my school, all wanting to catch a glimpse of the mental patient working at the local diner. As if they hadn't seen enough of me at school the day before. "Working?" a red head sniffed to the tight-faced girl next to her, "Who their right mind would hire her? Wait a minute, _right mind?" _Her friend burst into laughter and blurted, "LOL, the irony." My teeth ground against each other and I glanced at the old fashioned clock, praying that I would get to leave soon. It was five to four, I only had five more dreadful minutes left. And only five minutes for revenge.

"Hello, welcome to Reagan's Diner." I chirped, "What can I get you today?" I made sure to sound extra peppy and smack my spearmint gum loudly. The two girls gave each other a "_what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-this-girl-is-she-kiddi ng-us?" _look. "Uh, yeah." the red head spoke up, "I'll have the tomato soup with cheddar." I smirked and thought to myself, _perfect. _The other girl sniffed and squeaked, "I'll get the house salad, no tomatoes, and dressing on the side." I flashed a smile and scribbled down their orders. "Would you girls like anything to drink?" They both chuckled in mock at my old alcoholism problem. Funny, of course. I held my tongue as the clock ticked the seconds by. "Yeah, two vodkas on the double." the red head joked and they both burst out laughing. I mustered my anger and calmly stated, "I'm sorry, we don't carry those types of drinks. Can I offer you two _beautiful_ girls some Coca-Colas?" I made sure to say Coca-Colas instead of coke. I thought of Percy but pushed him back again. Confused, they muttered an agreement and I skipped to the order table and tacked the flimsy order paper to the counter, standing on my toes. I took some more orders, bearing the rude comments and snide jokes. I grinned a grin as big as the Grinch's evil smirk as the two girl's orders came up.

I carefully held both dishes on a platter perched on my right arm. I opened the platter stand and placed the orders on it. I gently placed the salad next to the squeaky girl to draw un-suspicion for my next move. I gripped the steaming plate of soup with both hands and gracefully poured the sloppy mess all over the red head. I quickly removed pulled the bowl back from over her head and began to apologize. "Omygosh!" I pretended to care over her angry shrieks, "I am so sorry! What I klutz I am!" The manager came over and helped her clean up. "Annabeth," he began, "I believe your shift is over. Perhaps you can go home and I can help this young lady clean up." I put both hands over my heart and apologized again, "You're right. I really should go home. I am so sorry again." I pulled off my apron and whispered in the red head's ear as I passed her to go to the kitchen, "You got the horns." So that's where I lay, on my bed in a heap of pure exhaustion.

**Percy's POV**

After Luke got his goods, he left to find his home town. I was all alone in a big city, looking for one person in a crowd of thousands. San Francisco was even bigger than Manhattan. I didn't know where to start. I walked into an internet café, where anyone was allowed to log on to a computer and do whatever that heck they wanted. Except watch porn; that was stated clearly in the rules and regulations. I sat down at an empty seat and _googled_ Annabeth Chase along with San Francisco. An page came up. From being in the hospital for so long, I clicked on it, confused. Apparently it was a website where anonymous people ask random perverted questions and the person answers them. What a dumb idea. Annabeth's page opened. The profile picture was her in a skimpy dress grinding against some fat bum. A wave of jealousy hit me along with confusion. Annabeth wasn't stupid, was she drunk when she made this page? I scrolled thorough the answers and read some:

**How many times do you masturbate each day?**

_As many times as I can!_

**Will you go out with me?**

_If you have a big dick then, fuck yeah!_

**How many people have you fucked?**

_Probably, like, ten. I don't know, I lost count._

**Do you have herpes?**

_Yeah! Who doesn't?_

**KMF: Butch, Malcolm, Ethan**

_Kill Ethan, Marry Malcolm, Fuck Butch._

**You whore!**

_Thank you!_

**Want to have sex with me?**

_Tell me the time and place._

Hold the fuck up. Annabeth would never act like that. I guess she changed. I exited out of the browser and stood up. My chair shrieked as it got pushed back and over. I looked at the fallen chair and felt a hot white pit of boiling anger swell in my throat. Why would she act like that? Isn't she trying to find me? What a whore. I picked up the chair and jammed it back into place, making the monitor go black for a split second. I thought I knew her. I thought we were going to be together forever. She acted like it when she was with me. What changed her, now? I stormed out of the café, choking back tears and blinking the blur out of my vibrant sea green eyes that had just turned a little black.

**Annabeth's POV**

Gazing at the ceiling, I let myself think about Percy. I loved him so much and I really wanted to find him. I rolled onto my side and noticed the fading black smudge on my wrist. I pulled my sleeve back, exposing my cut wrists and dirty arms. The infinity and destiny sign were still stained on my skin. I grabbed a sharpie from my drawer and retraced them. I whispered to the sky. , "I _will_ find you, Percy. I'll do whatever it takes."

**Drew's POV**

"What a loser." I was saying to Lacey after school, "Can you fucking believe Annabeth Chase? She goes to a freaking mental hospital for half the year and then comes back looking like a blended brown bag of shit. She is so ruining the image of our school and town." I glanced to Lacey, who was a lot younger than me, giving her a glance so that she had to agree. "Oh, yeah," she squeaked, "She is such a moron." I flipped a conditioned strand of hair over my shoulder and puffed, "I know. So we need to do something to show her that she should leave." Lacey just shrugged and then followed me when I demanded her to come to my house. "Drew," she started, "I'm still confused about what we're doing to Annabeth." I shrugged her off and opened the sign up page. I smirked to her and began typing in all of Annabeth's information. I copied the URL to the page I made and made fifty pages of flyers for people to find the account. I shoved the pages into Lacey's arms and told her, "Now go. Hang these up all around the town. Make sure people see them." I pushed her out the door and crossed my arms, leaning against the wall. God, it felt good to be on top.

**Annabeth's POV**

I woke up earlier than usual and instead of going to work early I did what every normal teenager would do, I went on my computer. I'd heard that google-ing yourself was fun, so I tried it out. A bunch of random girls popped up with accounts from _Facebook_, _Twitter_, to even _MySpace_. Gross. It was weird how different we all were even though she shared the same name. I added, "San Francisco" to the search and hit the enter key. One of the first suggestions was for an page. From being in the asylum for so long, I had no idea what that was so I clicked on it. I was horrified as the picture of me grinding that sweaty old guy came up in the profile picture. This account was mine. I was confused; I had never even heard of this website, how the hell could I make an account? Then it hit me. Everyone at school hated me. Of course one of them would make a fake account of me. All I knew is that I wanted the page down as soon as possible. The answers the imposter gave were perverted and disgusting. On my way to work I stopped at the local police station.

Swinging my leg over my shiny blue bike, I pulled my bag from the weaved basket that was attached to the front. I squatted down and locked my bike to the post with cuffs. The sky was an unnatural shade of vibrant blue, I realized as I walked in to the station. The door flung open easily and a stench of pencil shavings, coffee, mold, and rubber greeted my nose. I crinkled my nose and walked up to the fat man sitting at a desk piled with papers. "Hello." I caught his attention, "My name is Annabeth Chase and someone has created a fake webpage about me." He wanted proof first. "Okay, Miss." he grunted and pulled up a browser tab on his computer, "What is the name of this website?" I told him the name of the website and he entered my name into the search tab, which popped up first in the results. He looked confused as he scanned the page. "Miss." he prompted, "This looks like no blackmail page." He turned the flickering monitor so I could see it. The picture had changed of my dirty dancing to my school picture from this year and all the questions had been deleted. The page was blank. "Whoever it was," he stated, "They took it down. I'll still report this issue and watch the page, though." He opened a drawer and filled out an "Incident" sheet. He turned to the big file cabinet and froze when he put the paper into the folder with my name. "You _are_ Annabeth Chase, aren't you?" he inquired, "Because in here we have a file about you being submitted to a mental hospital."

I took a deep breath and told him that it was true. He scribbled a note that I saw from where I was standing. It read, "Annabeth Chase: recently ejected from an insane asylum. Report of fake webpage; gone now. Watch her." He stuck the note on the bulletin board for all officers to see. Great, now I was under watch again.

**Percy's POV**

My stomach growled in hunger. I hadn't eaten in two days. I checked my pockets for loose change I had picked up off the ground. My grimy hand held about four dollars in change. I could always steal, but stealing nowadays only made the hole in my heart grow bigger. I wandered the streets for twenty minutes, picking up dirty coins from the hard and rough asphalt. Eventually, I ended up with nine dollars and fifteen cents, enough to buy a small breakfast. I walked some more, looking for a place to eat when I stumbled upon a dingy diner. Starving, and willing for a place to sit and eat, I stumbled in.

**Annabeth's POV**

I grunted in annoyance and stomped out of the police station, not wanting to be late for work. The usual smells of coffee, greasy hash browns, eggs, and maple syrup swarmed my nose. I smiled at the sweet scents and walked briskly into the kitchen, tying the white apron around my waist, I headed for the tall pitcher of water sitting on the counter. I grabbed it, the water vapor making my hands slip, and poured some people more to drink. There were only four tables filled out of the usual thirty, the early mornings were always quiet. The front door swung open and the bell on top let out a cheery jingle. The person standing at the door astounded me. The water pitcher dropped, the glass shattered, and cold water spilled across my feet, legs, and the four foot diameter around me. Every head turned to look at me and the boy at the door. I didn't even blink.


	10. Temptation

**Temptation**

**Annabeth's POV**

"Percy?" I gaped, "Why-how-when-what?" Percy's face was stony and grim. "Oh, it's you." he stated like I was a disgusting hairy spider. "What's wrong?" I squeaked, nervous, "Did I do something wrong?" I suddenly realized that the whole diner was staring holes into my forehead. I grabbed Percy with my nimble hand by the arm and dragged him into the kitchen. "Spill by table twelve." I told the janitor as we zipped past him and into the closet. I shut the door and pulled the thin dirty string down hard to turn on the yellow dusty light bulb. I turned to Percy, who was sitting on a vacuum cleaner and squatted next to him. Gently placing my hand on his forearm I stated, "Tell me everything." He turned away, his eyes cold, why would I tell you anything, you slut?" I jumped back in shock, not believing what my ears comprehended. "Wait a minute." I demanded, standing up, "What the hell is going on?" My arms were crossed over my chest as Percy shook his head. "Your profile page on that dumb website." was all he told me. I understood now. "No, no, no." I said wearily, "That was a fake page someone made about me. The people at my school aren't too happy I'm back." Percy still looked unbelieving, "Prove it." he spat. I sighed and told him, "I really can't. You're just going to have to trust me that I have been a low-life loser since I got here working at a diner because my parents now make me pay rent. And that I've only been to one party so I wouldn't have had time to do half the things on that page, anyway."

He looked at me willingly and then stood up and kissed me. I kissed back. His lips were gentle and his hands lightly cupped around my face. It was so perfect, I wondered if he had been planning this since the day we met. When we broke apart I led him out of the closet to an empty table. "You must be starving." I stated as he sat down in the greasy red booth. "That's why I came into this diner." he confirmed. "I'll pay for you, it's no big deal." I brushed as he held out a jumble of coins I did not want to count. "Really?" he asked, "Because I do have my own money." I sniffed and whipped out my waitressing pad and promised, "It's really fine. You deserve it. What will it be, Jackson?" He soon decided on a cheeseburger with Coke, ironically, and a side of fries, despite it being eight a.m. I rushed around the busy diner as people swarmed in. I was taking orders, refilling glasses, cleaning spilled food and drinks as fast as I could. Eventually Percy's order came out and I placed it in front of him. "Would you like anything else, sir?" I joked. He laughed and I went back to my job. Percy waited on the side of the kitchen for my break which was at nine thirty. The place was as crowded as the New York City sidewalks by that time so Percy and I went into the back to talk. He told me hilarious stories of Thalia and Grover and stupid things Silena said. "Gosh," I gushed, "I sure do miss all of them." Percy nodded, "I know," he soothed, "But we can't help them. They can only help themselves." I nodded, knowing that everything he had just said was true.

"Mrs. Laurie was telling us about why we were submitted in the day I left." Percy noted, "She said that we were there to **blossom** into better people and learn to make the right decisions. And now here we are, you, taken out, and me, broken out." We waited, watching the birds flit over our heads for a minute before I inquired, "Percy, do you think you're better?" He knew what I meant by better, anyone who had been in the mental hospital did. "I really don't know." he admitted, "I guess I'll wait for temptation to come along and see what I do." I cleared my throat and answered my own question, "I feel the same way. We just have to wait and see."

_*10:28 P.M.*_

My parents and brothers were out, out without a notice, as they do often. I got a text from them saying that they wouldn't be back until morning. It was actually a win-win because Percy and I had the whole hose to ourselves, he could stay over unnoticed, and there were no pesky family members. "Having fun?" I inquired. Percy was lazily laying on the couch with popcorn propped up on his right, me on his left, and my dad's pajamas he never wears covering him. "Tons." he replied with a smile. I gave him a peck on the lips and cocked my head to the TV. We had been watching cartoons in between make-out sessions. "It's late," I informed, "And I'm sure you're really tired. You can sleep in the guest room if you want." He followed me upstairs to the guest room. He got into bed and I sat down with him. We cuddled together, happy to be united at last when we dozed off. I woke up to the sweet sound of birds. Percy was still sleeping, so I let him for it was seven in the morning. It was a bright August Friday, the perfect day to stay outdoors all day and not let your parents see your new boyfriend who broke out of a mental institution to find you. I slid into the kitchen and opened the fridge. The cool air swept on to my feet as I took out the eggs. I grabbed a green plastic bowl and gently cracked four eggs into the bowl. Turning on the stove, I glanced at the clock. It was almost ten in the morning; my family would likely be home soon. As I whipped the eggs together, I was reminded of the party taking place at Malcolm's. I tossed a chunk of butter into the pan and grabbed two glasses.

If Percy and I went to the party, it might be safe. Everyone would be too high to question where he came from, it would be a place for us to stay away from my family, and it would show all the kids at school that I was still reckless and not a wimp. Not thinking of any consequences, I made up my mind as I poured the battered eggs into the pan where they sizzled. Percy entered the kitchen and greeted me. "Good morning." I announced, "Tonight we are going out." Percy looked confused, "Uh, where?" he questioned. I smiled and filled both glasses with orange juice. "We are going to a party. I have been thinking about it a lot and it's actually safe to go." I told him my reasons. Percy shrugged and said it was fine by him, as long as we didn't get in trouble. After breakfast was over, we got dressed and went out to the park to relax and spend time together. As we sat on the wet grass, I asked Percy, "Do you wish that you never did drugs?" I was expecting a direct 'yes', but Percy surprised me like he always did. "Not really. I mean, there are some things that went horribly wrong, like my life disintegrating and my Mom being completely devastated, but it was also good for me." I glared at the clouds, my eyebrows knit together in confusion. "Why was it good for you?" I inquired. "Well, one, it reminded me of the important qualities of life, and two, I met you." I turned to look at him, his green eyes filled with mystery. I was smiling; glad to have met someone who really did love me.

By the time we got back to my house, my "family" was already home. Percy and I ran into my room and I shoved him into my closet when my parents came up to interrogate me. "How was your night?" my dad asked in a voice that suggested he was a police officer talking to a criminal instead of a father talking to his daughter. "Fine, boring." I lied. "Humph," my dad grunted, "Well, your mother and I are bringing your brothers out to dinner, would you like to come?" I was shocked, this was the first time I had been included in my family's life since I was taken out of the institution. I wanted to run into him and hug him and scream and cheer "Yes! Yes!" at the top of my lungs but I was reminded of Percy in my closet. "Sorry, dad. I have a ton of homework." I postponed the dinner. My mom interrupted, "We can write you a note, darling." I sighed and flipped my hair out of my face, "Listen guys," I started, "I'm really busy tonight. I can't, maybe another time." I shut the door. I quietly listened as my parents' footsteps faded down the stairs. "Percy, come out of the closet." I called to him. "Not if you say it like that!" he protested. I grabbed him from the closet and gave him a kiss. "Let's get ready for the party." I decided.

With Percy turned around, I slipped on a tight blue tube top and long skinny jeans. He went with his jeans, that I washed, and a Green Day shirt we bought on the street after our trip to the park. I gave myself cat-like make up and let my hair go its natural curly. "Annabeth," Percy called, "How are we getting to this party? Neither of us have a car." Slipping on sneakers I stated, "We're walking. It's only two blocks away." Percy shrugged and flipped his hair out of his eyes. "Fun." he stated. When we arrived at the party, music rattled the house and disco lights covered the walls and floor. Bottles littered the sidewalk and front lawn and three people were already beyond high and were skinny dipping in the pool. "Remember why we're here." I told Percy, "To test out temptation and to keep you safe." Percy smiled and stated, "Got it."

Almost immediately, two drunken seniors walked up to Percy and I. "So, where did you guys meet?" one of them joked, "The fucking mental hospital?" They both burst into laughter that stopped suddenly when I replied, "Actually, yes." They rolled their eyes and stumbled into the other room. The party went on for another two hours before the temptation really began to kick in. My hands itched to grab the cold, clear bottle of vodka on the other side of the bar, so I sat on them. Percy walked up behind me as I stared the bottle down. "It's hard isn't it?" he sighed and sat down beside me. "You didn't do anything, did you?" I asked. He just shook his head and replied, "Nope, but I want to." I stood up and took his hand, "We're leaving." I stated and dragged him through the crowds. As we crossed the lawn, four police cars surrounded us. "Freeze!" the megaphone shouted and we froze. "Fuck." Percy muttered. We both knew it, we were screwed.


	11. Together

**Together**

**Annabeth's POV**

"Were you two fellows here attending this party?" an officer asked us. I knew better than to lie. "Yes. But we were just leaving." I attempted to walk past him but more officers surrounded us. "Is there any underage drinking going on at this party and or drug use?" I sighed and stated, "Yes, there is. We didn't do anything, though." A chubby officer came out and held out an alcohol breath tester and made us both blow into it. "Clean." he announced. I tapped my foot, impatient now. If they asked us our names, we would have to tell them because they would find out anyway; and lying to the police isn't smart. I wanted to get out as soon as possible. "What are your names, fellows?" we were asked. "I sighed and announced clearly, "Annabeth Chase and Percy Jackson." Percy elbowed me and whispered, "What the hell is wrong with you?" I muttered back, "The thing I learned from doing drugs is not to lie." As the officer flipped through his notebook he apparently came across our names and demanded the other officers to cuff us. "Pat 'em down and make sure they don't go anywhere."

I was thrown against the cold police car and my hair sprawled on the car. I panted, taken by surprise by the rough act. Percy was next to me, shaking his head. "They would've seen out pictures Percy." I told him, "They have records of us, we would be in double the amount of trouble we're in if we had lied." Percy nodded in understanding, his cheek squished against the car and his body squirming uncomfortably from being pat down. The officer who called us out was on the phone with my parents. Not good. They arrived shortly after his call ended, when I was sitting, slumped, in the police car. "Your daughter had been caring for a break away. She should be sent to jail." he informed them. My mom's lip quivered. "I'm sorry. As you know she was recently un-admitted from a mental hospital. She's mentally unstable." There we go again. Tears dripped down my face silently as the words rung in my head a million times, an echo that didn't go away.

Percy and I were both hauled back off to the hospital. For multiple weeks, I was kept separate, in a room with all bed. The floor was bed, the walls, even the ceiling. I had soft cushions placed on my hands to keep me from hurting myself. I wanted to die. If I couldn't have a life, be with Percy, or be trusted with my own hands, I didn't want to live. I stopped eating and was force fed three times before I not-so-willingly ate on my own. After what seemed like eons, I was let out of my soft room and was allowed to attend group and socialize during my free time. During free time, I was closely examined by a guard, to make sure I didn't stab myself with a crayon. I still had to eat and sleep in my soft room, though. I still wasn't allowed to see Percy, or Thalia, or Silena, or Grover. They were thought to have a bad influence on me. So, for hours a day, I would sit in the room with all bed in my special clothes with no zippers, buttons, or dangling string, mulling over how I ruined my life.

I was in a terrible condition when I was finally allowed to see Percy, a year later. He looked bad, too. We both had dark bags from the lack of sleep and were pale from the lack of sun. "I still love you." was the first thing he told me when we saw each other, "I think about you all the time. I want to be with you and live a happy life." I began to cry. I was so fragile, if I was squeezed to hard, I would shatter. "Percy, I love you, too. And I don't want to say this, but I don't think we can live a happy life ever again, yet alone together." Percy had the smallest spark of determination in his eyes under all the sadness. "We'll make it work." he stated as he leaned in for a kiss but at that point we were dragged away from each other. I was only allowed to see Percy once a year for three years. Until he stopped coming. "Percy's mother couldn't afford to send him here anymore, so he is now in his house, under supervision." I was told by a guard. I knew that meant we would never see each other ever again. I cried and screamed and threw myself against the walls of my soft room. I still have dreams about Percy, and visions where we sit together on a rock by the foaming ocean, and we're happy. We're together.

When you hear your teacher, your parents, your brother, your sister, your friend, your town police officer, or even a criminal say not to do drugs or drink, listen to them. Listen to me. It seems so mainstream and so practical when someone says, "Don't do this, don't do that." but when they are talking about drugs and alcohol, obey. Look at my life. My dreams are filled with flashbacks of my past, where I did everything I did to land myself in this position. I'm probably never going to get out. I'm probably going to sit here the rest of my life alone, in my self-harm resistant room, with cushions on my hands, never to be trusted again. There isn't always a happy ending.

**This story was written for drug and alcohol abuse awareness.**

**Stay in school, kids.**

**Don't do drugs.**

**Don't underage drink.**

**And don't fuck up your life.**

_*cue "My Happy Ending" by Avril Lavigne*_


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